The Reunion
by jack63kids
Summary: Harry, Ron, Hermione & Ginny are coming to terms & getting on with their lives after the 2nd Great Wizarding War. **After advice from mdauben - ta! - I've given more background to the 1st two chapters.** Inspired by stories by JK & chandlermarie89. If you are older & like Harry-Ginny stories, check Chandler's stories out. Reviews welcome: be specific, please and/or say who you are.
1. Chapter 1: After the Storm

New Chapter 1: Lull After the Storm  
_Harry had been staying at the Burrow since the Battle of Hogwarts and knew that sooner or later something had to give. He knew he couldn't impose on the Weasleys all his life and it wasn't as if he didn't have a house of his own. Grimmauld Place was his, and available, with a very much underused and sadly neglected house elf prepared to wait in his every need. Before he did anything, he needed to speak to Ginny ..._

* * *

"Gin? You busy?" he asked tentatively.  
Ginny looked up from the parchment she was studying by the window where the best available light was in the kitchen at the Burrow. There was a storm brewing and she was obviously trying to economise by not using the electric lights her father had had recently installed - that or she didn't know how to use the light switch. She shook her hair and grinned at him saying, "Not if there's a good excuse ... any excuse ... that gets me out of ancient runes revision." Harry grimaced. He knew that his girlfriend stretching herself to try subjects she wouldn't otherwise have considered was all Hermione's doing.

Students were currently studying at home since Hogwarts would remain closed until the evaluation exams after Christmas to allow for essential repairs, or so the official line went. Everyone knew there was more to it than that; people needed time with their families, there needed to be some distance put between those who hadn't openly opposed Voldemort and there were still trials being held that might need Hogwarts students to testify at.

Harry himself had been called to many of the trials, as had Ginny, though he'd not been allowed to observe while she was testifying. All he knew about her evidence was that testifying at the Wizengamot made her very uncomfortable with him and she went to her room with Hermione for many hours afterwards. He could hear her crying through the walls late into the night, but she refused to open the door to him when he'd tentatively knocked. She'd refused to talk to him about it later too; "Too raw, too soon, Harry," she'd said stubbornly. He could help her, he knew he could help her, but only with her cooperation and her refusal to trust him and confide in him had driven a wedge between them. Not so much that their relationship wasn't flourishing otherwise, but it was like a beautiful house where there was a room he wasn't allowed into and it festered in his mind, even when he didn't realise he was thinking about it.

Harry put aside all his mixed feelings and asked, "Gin. You know Grimmauld Place?"

Ginny nodded, "Yeah?", sliding into a chair next to Harry at the table in front of the fire, where a large cauldron was stewing dinner.

"Well ... you know it's mine ... that Sirius left it to me?"

Ginny was looking guarded, obviously wondering what was coming next. Uncharacteristically she keep quiet, simply nodding again, a curtain of burnished hair falling about her face.

Harry swallowed and Ginny looked almost scared, certainly apprehensive about what was coming next. "Well, will you help me redecorate it?" he asked, in a tone that suggested he expected her to start shouting or hitting him.

Ginny laughed, letting out a long breath that she hadn't realised she was holding. "Sometime, Harry James Potter, you can be a right prat!" she said, actually giving him a gentle swipe to the top of his head, which dislodged his glasses to one side. "What do you wanna do, winding me up like that? I thought you were going to say something serious, and not in a good way!"

Harry smirked apologetically and explained what his plans were for his godfather's childhood home. "I want to do it up. Make it more homely. I can't stay here forever, it's a bit weird living with my girlfriend's family, especially when she's got so many scary older brothers."

Ginny looked thoughtful. "And this is the Chosen One, the Boy Who Lived, who defeated Lord Voldemort, through his cunning and bravery ... scared of a few friendly wizards who treat him like an honoured member of the family?" She gave him a small play punch in the arm and continued. "You know you're welcome to stay as long as you want? Mum treats you like a son and she's never throw one of her own out. And before you say anything, Percy flounced out, she'd always have welcomed even him back, the jerk!" Harry knew she meant this fondly as Ginny was devoted to all her brothers even when angry at them for their various quirks and misdemeanours.

"I know. I just need a bolt hole and to feel that Grimmauld Place is really mine and not where Sirius had such a depressing childhood or I holed up with Ron and Hermione when Voldemort first went public or the Order had their HQ. I was happy", he said thoughtfully, "for it to be used for that before. It didn't feel like home and it was all too soon after Sirius died.

"I need it to be mine - cheer the old place up and give poor Kreacher something to do that's less taxing than flitting between there and here at my beck and call. I feel bad about summoning him when I don't see him beforehand to know how he is. He's not getting any younger ... but I know he feels underused and unwanted." Harry broke off to let her respond.

Ginny reflected that Harry had healed well enough to be able to mention his godfather's death at all now and start planning what to do with the house; the look of sadness was still there, but he could say it out loud to her and not close up his feelings again. She put her arm around his waist and squeezed him before saying,

"Of course I'll help. I'm good at that kind of thing ... We'll need some bright pink paint for the bedroom walls, some flowery curtains for the parlour and matching scatter cushions, some artificial daisies for the entrance hall and and we'll be well on the way ... And ooo! I've seen some darling wallpaper with pictures of dragons in various pastel shades that would look dreamy in the dining room!" She watched Harry's expression carefully for a moment with studied seriousness before exploding with laughter. "Oh, your face ... what a picture ... pink paint! Scatter cushions!" she laughed. "Priceless!"

The next step was get Ron and Hermione onboard. Harry could already see Hermione with paint in her hair, scowling while she consulted lists and plans to keep everyone on track. Ron, however, he pictured putting his paint brush into a mug of someone else's coffee while leaning on a still wet wall of paint. He wasn't sure of his best friend's abilities with such practical things ... have to wait and see, could go either way. At least Ron'd be tall enough to paint the picture rails, and possibly the ceilings, without a ladder ...


	2. Chapter 2: Uncle Neville's Advice

**New Chapter 2: Lovers' Tiff**

Harry and Ginny had made a tour of the entire building early that morning, evaluating each room, sharing wild ideas for what they could do and taking down the odd note to share with Hermione and Ron when they got back to the Burrow later. Harry had quite warmed to the idea of having artificial daisies in the entrance hall, something welcoming and humanising for that dank area.

He'd not be able to get rid of Sirius' mother's portrait but they'd talked about boxing it in with light wood frame with doors or something painted in sandy tones to cheer up a dull and uninviting wall. He wasn't so sure he'd ever go for pastel coloured dragons, but why not a few scatter cushions? People liked comfort and they'd give a homely feel. Ginny was grinning and gently teased him about his yin-yang balance and exploring his female side.

Not for the first time, Harry thought it possible that Grimmauld Place might be their home one day, not just his, but his and Ginny's, and wondered whether she'd had the same thought that she might be contributing to her future home. He could see kids' toys strewn down the stairwell and plastic ducks in the bath and smiled happily to himself at the thought.

They'd sat down with a breakfast tray that Kreacher had thoughtful provided and then, even more thoughtfully, Kreacher had disappeared to leave them alone to talk. Kreacher had got more adventurous with his cooking and there was a choice of English and Continental style foodstuffs which he'd baked himself. Harry reflected that Fleur might have had a hand in some of the choices. She'd spent some time slowly and meticulously explaining to Kreacher about French style cuisine and how it was about more than eating, but was an essential life-style that the English would never understand - any nation where anyone could eat cold baked beans straight from the tin with a fork as George did occasionally or consider a few cold leftovers to be a delicacy ...

Ginny cupped her hands around her tea and was talking animatedly about going back to Hogwarts and seeing her friends again. She talked more openly about some of the things that that happened the year Harry had been on the run, but only how good it was to feel part of a united group, all loyal to each other and fighting for the same cause. She didn't mention any of the trials of living under the Carrows' regime, but it was a start. Harry was aware, however, that he was unintentionally feeling more and more left out as she went on animatedly and exciting, talking about the members of the DA who'd remained at Hogwarts, and she didn't seem to notice in her enthusiasm. He was trying relatively successfully to quell these unworthy emotions ...

... and then she mentioned Neville, with such a wistfulness that Harry stopped breathing for a moment ...

* * *

Ginny wanted to see more of Neville ... _on her own_ ... that's what she was saying. Harry wasn't sure it wasn't more than just friendship or why would she need his permission. She talked about him with such longing that Harry wondered what was really behind it all. The row that ensued was their worst they'd had yet and both said hurtful things to the other. 'At least Neville understands me and listens to me without flying off the ruddy handle' ... 'Well, if Neville's so blinking wonderful, why aren't you with him?' ... 'I'm beginning to wonder that myself! ...' ... and so it went on. Both said hurtful things to the other and neither was prepared to see the other's point of view.

That long school year at Hogwarts without him ... Harry didn't want to think ... couldn't _not_ think ... oh, not _Neville_; not such a close friend. He'd never be able to look him in the eye again - not without wanting to punch him in the face anyway. Neville had such a thing for Ginny, they went to the Ball together, Harry had watched them dance together, Neville so proud to be with her, so happy. He and Ginny weren't together and it was dire circumstances and he knew how close that could throw people - goodness knows, if Ron hadn't been his best friend, then he and Hermione ... Ginny could have gone to anyone for the comfort and the closeness and Neville was a very good listener.

The argument moved away from Neville and what their relationship may or may not have been to broader issues of trust and where they might be headed as a couple.

Harry wondered aloud what Ginny saw in him now that he wasn't the Chosen One and whether his celebrity status and putting himself in the firing line was all that had attracted her in the first place. Ginny looked at him appraisingly and said with a coldness he had never heard from before, "Maybe you're right, Harry, maybe it's all been a silly girlhood crush that got out of control!"  
Harry's heart was thumping in his chest. He slid off the sofa knocking the remains of his cold tea over the carpet and, grabbing his jacket as he exited, murmured, "_out ... fresh air_ ..."

She'd not said a word as he'd left. He'd not been able to bear to even look over at where she was sitting. As he slammed the door before disapparating, an old Beatles number went through his head. '_I need a place to hide away_ ...' _Preferably a dungeon or a deep dark cave that no-one else can access_,' he thought sadly. And he remembered Voldemort's cave where Regulus had recovered the Horcrux locket and Dumbledore had taken the potion that brought back all his worse nightmares over his sister's agony. Even the Inferi trying to drag them down to the bottom of that dark, dank lake weren't as depressing or desolate as his thoughts now. He laughed ironically at himself for being stupid enough to believe that Ginny wanted him the same way he did her. _Stupid Harry, real stupid!_

He hadn't been able look her in face now and doubted he'd ever be able to again and he had no doubt that she'd not want to look at him ever again either. Had to talk to someone, Neville - couldn't be Ron, her brother, oh no. Nor Hermione ... had to be not someone who wasn't a woman, women tear your heart out and laugh as you're bleeding to death ... Weird that the first person he thought to tell was Neville. Can't be Neville - or can it? Sensible, straight forward, sensitive Neville. Neville who might have ... mustn't think, mustn't think that. Neville's the only other person on the planet who he could tell, who might have some comfort. He'd been jilted by Ginny after all, even if they had ... before Harry had come back ... had to be Neville.

And he had to confront his friend in any case, find out what really happened that year he was away.

* * *

"Are you completely insane, Harry? Bloody nuts, if you can't see ... if I ... if she ... oh, Harry, she's insanely in love with you, might have been a crush once, but it's 100% genuine, in love, for a long time now. And if you think that anything happened between her and anyone else when you were away, then you're certifiable. I was with Ginny for most of our waking moments all that school year and she never once even thought of another man the way she obviously does about you. She might as well have been in purdah or wearing a wedding ring for all the signals she sent out to anyone else. And Harry! If it had been otherwise, friendship or not, believe me, I'd not have hesitated ... You don't know how lucky you are, you sap!"

Harry had never seen or heard Neville so animated, even talking about plants. His nostrils flared and he spoke with obvious passion, but it was clear that nothing had happened between him and Ginny at least.

"So what _exactly_ did she say to make you think she was the Harlot of Hogwarts then?"

Harry ran his hands through his hair distractedly. This had to be the most uncomfortable conversation he'd had with anyone - ever. And that included some pretty uncomfortable ones with Ginny.

"That she wanted some alone time with you," Harry confided reluctantly. "And that I'd never understand her like you do." Harry sighed. "And then some stuff about other men being more manly and I should grow up and get over myself. She said that other men appreciate her more than I do and ... wanted to know what's wrong with her anyway."

Neville looked pensive and paced up and down, glaring at Harry. "Poor kid! I'm beginning to think they're as scared to death as we are!"

"Who?" Harry said with a puzzled expression on his face. This conversation was getting more and more weird and he was almost wishing he'd not come at all.

Neville sighed. "_Girls_, of course! They may give the impression that they know all, treat us with contempt, cool as blinking cucumbers, but I truly believe that at the heart of it they're just as vulnerable, confused and out of control as we are."

Neville's logic was escaping him but, if he's got the gist, then things weren't as bad with Ginny as he'd thought at first. Maybe she was as confused and self-doubting as he was himself. Oh, poor Ginny. He'd just walked out on her and she had, at best, a vague idea why and would be making up all kinds of things in her head as he'd been doing himself ...

"Nev, thanks. I've got to get back. Gotta do something about this mess. I can't tell you what a help you've been. If Herbology doesn't pay the bills you should start an Uncle Neville column!"

Neville laughed mirthlessly. Harry left before he could see a depressed looking Neville, head in hands, sigh as he sat gazing into his fire, tears in his eyes. Always the one to give a listening ear and some sympathy, but never the one to get the girl. Poor Neville.


	3. Chapter 3: Heart Felt

When Harry got back there was no sign of Ginny. The fire had gone out in the livingroom and she'd taken all her things. There was no sign of her in the whole building. No. 12 suddenly felt very cold and empty and it wasn't because the fire had gone out.

In the meantime, Ginny was having a tearful conversation with Hermione, the two young women curled up together on Ginny's floor, Hermione's arm protectively around her friend.

Ginny had stopped sobbing long enough for several disjointed words and phrases to give Hermione a rough idea of what had gone down at Grimmauld Place. "Mortified ... never be able to look him in the eye again ... thinks I'm a scarlet tart ... not surprised ... acted badly ... I love him, Hermione and he'll never look at me again ..."

"Well, for one thing it's either 'tart' or 'scarlet woman', Ginny. My guess is a scarlet tart would be strawberry, or possibly raspberry and I'm sure you're neither of those," said Hermione with a grim look.

Ginny gave a snotty snort of laughter through her tears. If Hermione was joking, things couldn't be so bad. No one knew Hermione's sense of ironic humour as she did. She didn't even show this side of herself to Ron or Harry very often. Ginny felt honoured that her friend would share this with her but knew that Hermione wouldn't make light of a situation that was desperate and unredeemable.

Ginny composed herself enough to be able to tell the whole story. She told her friend of the feeling of complete, cold abandonment when Harry had walked out the door and how it had reminded her of the months when he had been gone and she'd not heard any concrete news of his whereabouts or how he was.

Hermione thought that at least her friend had been able to talk about those dark times in a way she had so far avoided and advised her to tell Harry her feelings about the time they were apart. Hermione reflected on how much easier it was to be intimate physically, at least up to a point, than emotionally. She and Ron had had a few painful, but cathartic, heart to hearts before their relationship had got onto anything like a even keel. Kissing and hand-holding had been much easier and she knew was a way of putting off the real intimacy of talking about feelings.

Hermione was measured in her sympathy and scolded Ginny for her callous words to Harry and for holding back so much emotional baggage that needed to be aired. "The two of you are as bad as each other, even Ron and I talked about when he left and how it was for each of us. I can still get some milage out of his guilt even now," Hermione said wistfully.

"Oh, that's evil!" said Ginny in an awestruck tone.

"And what you said to Harry wasn't? He's not had a lot of love in his life, Ginny. Ron was the first real friend he's had and even he abandoned him in real need and hasn't been as constant as he could have been. And Harry and I could never be as close as we could if it weren't for Ron."

Ginny's mouth dropped open a little.

"Oh, don't look like that! Nothing happened and never would. But we've been as close as a boy and girl can get without that kind of intimacy. We'd die for each other, but we're like brother and sister now, because of Ron." Hermione looked embarrassed but wasn't prepared to take her partial confession of potential for 'something more' back again.

Hermione was dogged. "What I'm saying is, he's not confident about people caring for him. He's not used to being consistently and unconditionally loved. Even Sirius was a fair-weather godparent. He liked it best when Harry was rebellious and chose when to be there for his godson. I don't mean it harshly. He'd been in Askaban a long time for a crime he didn't commit and had so many loses. He wasn't a bad person, just a rather damaged one. I rather liked Sirius, as much as I'd got to know him, as much as he'd allowed anyone to know him."

Ginny had stopped crying by now and was thinking ahead to the conversations she'd be having with Harry; thinking of the future with confidence and surety. Now that was progress - she'd been sure that they had no future just moments before. Good old Hermione! And then she realised she had no idea how to find him and that she'd left Grimmauld Place without leaving a note, without a word ...

* * *

"You're a first class plonker, Harry Potter. You know that don't you!" Hermione had come out of Ginny's room, looking as formidable as Professor McGonagall on a rampage, when she heard him on the stairs. Harry could almost hear Flitch saying, _Students out of bed, Professor_!

Harry felt he had it coming and more from Ginny. "Yep, and a whole lot worse, Hermione", he sighed resignedly.

"Don't take this lightly Harry, this is serious!" she snapped.

"No, Hermione, I mean it. I have some serious apologising to do and I'm not expecting to even be forgiven, but I have to try ... she didn't deserve what I thought. It was only ... oh, not an excuse ... I just felt ... inadequate. She's so ... and I'm so ..."

Hermione visible relaxed ... "Oh for goodness sake! _Boys_! Go tell _her_, Harry." She tutted loudly, and Harry had a vision of McGonagall again as he tentatively knocked on Ginny's door before opening it without waiting for an answer.

Hermione stood looking at the closing door for a moment, an anxious expression on her face, before purposely walking downstairs with a determined smile on her face to intercept Ron who was on his way up. She linked arms with him, beaming, while suggesting a long walk and whatever else the day would bring ...

* * *

Ginny didn't look up when Harry came into the room. He decided that words alone wouldn't do it and she had to see the sincerity in his eyes, so he lifted her chin so they were looking at each other. There were still tears on Ginny's eyelashes and Harry's heart broke for her all over again.

"Ginny, I'm sorry. I'm more sorry than anyone has ever been before in the history of boys being sorry to girls ..."

"Women," Ginny said softly.

"_What_?" Harry hadn't been expecting that.

"We're not girls, Harry, we're women, though scientists have found evidence that the male of the species never make it past the adolescent stage and so it's fine to carry on calling you boys into your dotage." She wasn't smiling but her eyes were sparkling with something more than teardrops.

Harry got the feeling that she was rambling, putting off the time for explanations, but at least she'd removed all doubt that a making-up was taking place.

"Oh, I love you," he said happily. "But I've got to explain, got to tell you what's going on in my stupid head."

"No you don't, Harry, you really don't. I was unforgivable ... what I said ... I didn't mean ... I was just so ... oh, Harry, I was just so anxious, I thought I was going to throw up. I should have talked to you before about how important Neville is to me - as a _friend_ - I just didn't think ..."

She was crying again a little then, the tears brimming over her eyelids and large drops splashed down onto her lap.

"Well I was worse. I was so uncertain of myself that I imagined all kinds of impossible things. It's just that this ... _you_ ... are so important to me and I'm so unworthy ... so incredibly unworthy ... I can't think why you're with me and not someone ... I dunno ... more experienced, better looking, smarter, sexier ... taller ..." She was smiling through her tears, which spurred Harry to further excesses of self-deprecation. "... less stupid, less of a complete and utter plonker and not so hopelessly inept ... and who'll sweep you off your feet without tripping over his own feet or getting them stuck in his stupid gob!"

Ginny hiccoughed slightly and brushed her fingers down his face as she spoke and her voice was like a fresh breeze in a desert to Harry. "You're everything Harry, everything to me, all I could want. Most definitely the sexiest man I've ever known ... no one else exists when you're in the world, Harry."

"We need to talk about last year... " "There are things I have to tell you ..." they said together and laughed.

Harry smiled. "Ladies first," he said gallantly.

And then Ginny told him of the year at Hogwarts without him and the trials under the Carrows and the comradeship with the DA and particularly Neville. How she'd had to gently rebuff his advances and how he was still the closest friend she had ever had but that she couldn't go to him anymore, since Harry had come back to her. And how much it all hurt - everything that had happened and how growing up was more painful than she'd ever imagined possible and how complex feelings could be.

It wasn't all about Neville, but Harry got the impression that nothing would be complete or whole again for Ginny until she got her relationship with him sorted and Harry's permission for their friendship was implied. He wondered how much more painful Neville would find it to have Ginny in his life and for her not to be his. He tried to imagine how he'd feel if Ginny had chosen differently and the pain of even thinking it was immense. He decided that he'd rather have her friendship than none of her though.

Something needed to be done for Neville. Neville needed a distraction, a girlfriend of his own, to make it ok for Harry to share Ginny with his friend. Not that he didn't trust Neville of course. He'd have to work on those feelings ... or find a girlfriend for Neville.

And Harry told her about the miserable nights wondering what she was doing and following her on the Marauders' Map. And every danger, every time he had cast a spell or met a Death Eater. He even told her about his feelings for Hermione, which went better than he could have anticipated, it was almost like she already knew. He realised then that he really did understand about her need to see Neville. He couldn't imagine a life without Hermione, they had shared so much together and she understood him in a way that no one else in the world ever could.

They talked all afternoon until they were called for a late supper without any interruptions, which surprised them both as that never happened in the Burrow. Harry suspected Hermione's hand in that. They were going to be ok, despite all indications to the contrary just a few hours before.


	4. Chapter 4: Hermione Makes Lists

**Chapter 4: Hermione Makes Plans ... and lists ... lots of lists ...**

Harry stood at the window watching his friend for a moment before knocking at the door. Neville had looked sad before he knew Harry was there; the change was instant the moment he knew someone could see him. He didn't look exactly happy, now Harry thought about it, more shuttered and like someone hiding a great pain.

It was that look that decided Harry on what he had to say and how he was going to say it. He had to be as direct as Neville had been to him, he owed this man so much. Ginny might not still be alive if not for his loyalty and protection of her, he'd destroyed a Horcrux on Harry's say-so and been as loyal a friend as anyone could ever hope for. He and Neville had effectively grown up together and Harry had flashes of memories from Neville on his hands and knees searching for his toad, Trevor, on the Hogwarts Express. And then he could see an older, mature Neville, scar-faced and dirty, holding Gryffindor's sword as he swung it round confidently to swipe off Nagini's head.

They exchanged news, trivia, while both young men looked hesitate and self-conscious. There was a song playing on Neville's radio by a group from Ireland that Harry suspected were really young witches, judging by their name. Neville said it was number one currently in the Muggle Chart Parade. Harry thought some of the lyrics leaved a lot to be desired, though he remembered being rather grateful to the same group for bringing out something light after Voldemort's downfall. It seemed to take a playful swipe at Harry himself without being rude and the first verse was about Cedric, which he thought was fitting, though it made no real sense. The chorus which took the Michael, Patrick and all the Saints out of Voldemort and his Death Eaters was hilarious though. _Who's afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?_ he thought. _Who indeed_? Not him and none of his friends anymore.

Harry decided it was time to acknowledge the elephant in the room and broach the tricky stuff. "Nev. I know this isn't easy, not for any of us, but Ginny's your friend too. She misses you." Neville looked up expectantly at Harry's words.

"She misses you, Nev. I trust you, I trust you both. I know how close you got at Hogwarts. It's not right that you leave it there. You need each other. No one else understands what you went through then. No one else can ever share what you have shared." Harry sighed and raised a hand as if to touch Neville's arm and then let it drop again. "I don't have the words, Nev. We love you ..." he said lamely, trying not to sound too sentimental.

Neville snorted, but it was obvious he wasn't scoffing at Harry's attempts; he sounded relieved.

"I miss both of you, Harry. How could I take up with you again, like we were, feeling what I do for Ginny?" Neville spread his hands while making his appeal. "I'm glad it's out in the open. Shan't change the way I feel, but at least you know and I'm not hiding anything." Neville stepped forward and stretched his hand out to Harry.

Harry didn't need to think. He stepped forward and grabbed his friend into a hug, slapping him on the back and laughing. "I've missed you, Nev. You know you were the first person I thought of to speak to earlier. Before Ron, or Hermione. You're such a rock, such a good person. You're an amazing friend."

Neville looked uncomfortable when they broke apart, but Harry was soon to find it wasn't the intimacy that unbalanced his friend. "I never wanted you to die, Harry, you know that, don't you? But I did have a moment, just a moment ... or maybe two ... or three ..." Neville smirked sheepishly. "... When I thought that if you did just _happen_ to die then that would clear the way ..."

Harry smiled. He understood that and patted Neville on the arm knowing that words weren't needed between them now.  
There was a short pause before Harry said, "She's waiting in the caf down the road Neville. Come and see her, or let me bring her here. She really does miss you, you know."

The two friends walked together in companionable silence until they reached the door to the Greasy Joe's down the street from Neville's flat. Harry was momentarily reminded of the cafe where he, Ron and Hermione had been ambushed by Death Eaters. He had a pang as he wondered what his friends were now doing and some nostalgia for the days when he would just have to look up to find out. They spent a lot of time together now, but it wasn't the same as when they were on the run together. He felt guilty for depriving Ginny of Neville's company all this time. He'd never had to go that long without his best friends, not since they first met all those years ago.

Ginny looked up as the door pinged to announce their entrance and she shot out of her chair with a huge grin on her face. Harry watched as the love of his life threw herself at his friend and he tried to quell any residual feelings that he might like to hex Neville. Instead he left the two, still entwined together and walked out into the drizzle. Harry counted to three slowly before he saw them break apart. He glanced once through the window to see Neville looking out at him, with a rather sheepish, apologetic look on his face, stepping back from an animated Ginny who was talking nineteen to the dozen. Harry gave a brief nod in Neville's direction and walked down the road briskly, hands in pockets. In that moment Harry knew he'd done the right thing. But he was still going to look for the right woman for Neville - if it killed him.

* * *

Hermione really did know the pain of relationships. At least she and Ron were talking more now, though they still had a long way to go. They'd stayed up all one night, talking and crying for everything that happened to them the past few years and the people they had become. All the pain and the fear they'd experienced since they'd first met and then for the loss of that life of danger and excitement.

Ron made her laugh and encouraged her to be more relaxed and playful than she ever thought possible. She smiled as she thought of him and how awkward he'd been talking about his feelings for her at first. There was still something wrong though, something that was eating away at him and so also eating away at her.

Hermione didn't want to lumber her friend, Ginny with her anguish but she still needed to talk to someone else about what she was feeling. Someone who wasn't Ron. She'd not been able to before as Ginny was having her own struggles with her relationship with Harry. She could now look forward to a time when they could talk more freely again - as much as you can do when one of you is dating the brother, and one of you a close friend, of the other.

She was worried about Ron mostly. He said the right things and did the right things, but he wasn't right in himself and she'd not been able to get out of him what was really wrong. She thought they'd got closest to it when they talked about what they'd lost over the past few years. Not so much the people, that hurt too, but was easier to talk about. It was more the lifestyle and the closeness to Harry and fighting for a cause. It was hard to grieve for a life of almost constant mortal peril but there were undeniable losses.

She'd read that could be a harder transition than people gave credit for and soldiers coming home from campaigns needed debriefing before they could return to civilian life. She'd also read about post traumatic stress disorder, but didn't think that really hit the mark for either of them. It was more the let-down of living a peaceable life and the restlessness she felt in her man and, if she were being honest, felt a little herself.

She wondered if it were the same for Harry and - why not - Ginny, Neville, Luna, the other Weasley brothers ... all of them. They'd all gone through something, sometimes together, sometimes not. And then it hit her; the DA! They should restart the DA. At least to talk about what they'd all gone through, offer some mutual support. She'd started it first time, she could easily reinstate it. Not everyone would come, not without a focus, an immediate need, but they might want at least to meet up occasionally. Kingsley would put everyone on the Floo Network if she asked. Why not include the Order of the Phoenix, after all the DA was just a junior extension of that. And Aberforth and the Hogwarts teachers ... she needed a list, possibly a lot of lists.

Hermione felt more positive than she had in a long time but knew nothing would happen without getting Harry and Ginny onboard, but she had to talk to Ron before anyone else. She wasn't sure how to broach it with him, but found the moment she mentioned the DA it wasn't difficult as his face instantly lit up.

"Brilliant, Hermione, you're a star!" Ron squeezed Hermione's bum suggestively and Hermione giggled as she swatted his hand away. "Ok, ok, I'm concentrating, honestly, it's just hard when you go around all squeezable like that. What do we need to do to get it going? Ah ... I'll bet you've already got lists? _Have_ you got lists?" Ron was grinning from ear to ear and Hermione felt for the first time in a long time that she'd got her Ron fully back. And lists - she also had lists. And Hermione liked lists.


	5. Chapter 5: The Reunion

**Chapter 5: ****_The Reunion_**

_Thanks to everyone who's been leaving such helpful reviews. I hope that the rewrites are to your liking and not confused anyone too much ... as much as confused myself._

* * *

Ron had turned out to be really accomplished with a paint brush and a roller and Harry had commented on more than one occasion that, if he changed his mind about joining him as an Auror, Ron could start a decorating firm. Ron had managed most of the walls in the hallway and stairs on his own, while Hermione painted the skirting, avoiding the occasional dips and splashes that came her way. Harry had watched them both in a doorway for a while, admiring their workmanship before noticing that Hermione had stopped and was looking at Ron in a very proud and loving way. He reflected how lucky they were to have all found someone they wanted to spend the rest of their lives with while still so young.

They'd not been able to organise the first reunion until towards the end of the Easter holidays as repairs took longer on Grammauld Place than Harry had hoped and most of the invitees had gone back to Hogwarts after Christmas.

Harry's year, as mature students, were treated more like they were attending a college or University. Some classes were optional, others were run more like seminars, with able students presenting to the others. Harry had run a few Defense classes along similar lines to the DA. Neville had organised some practical lessons with herbology and had shown incredible natural flare with teaching. Harry had learnt more with Neville and found he was more enthusiastic about the world of plants than he'd previously been in the whole of his school career so far. Harry wasn't worried about the final exams in either of those subjects anymore.

They managed the finishing touches on Grimmauld Place during the first week of the holiday and Ginny had helped him hang the last set of curtains the morning of the party. He was rather fond of the dish of artificial daisies they'd arranged on the small hall table near to Mrs Black's portrait. He thought perhaps they could alternate them with rosebuds for some variety.

The first 'DA meeting' was the most wonderful celebration Harry had ever been to. Though people had had the odd bottle of butterbeer, the intoxication in the room had nothing to do with the flow of alcohol. Hermione's agenda was left to one side as everyone talked and laughed and hugged. Hermione didn't look disappointed though and Harry thought, not for the first time, how well his friend had matured.

She'd also arranged for a pizza delivery and when the pizzas arrived there was a small group of girls at the door giggling and dragging the delivery man in. It was Stan Shunpike, grinning shyly as three girls, from Ginny's year and various Hogwart's houses, who Harry knew vaguely, hung about his neck.

The whole reunion thing had escalated to anyone who'd fought at the Battle of Hogwarts and there were a few people who Harry only knew by sight. It was fine, though the members of the order of the Phoenix left when the dancing started in earnest and the music level went up several thousand decibels. He noticed Mrs Weasley dragging her husband away from the CD player that one of the Muggleborn girls had brought along. "You'll lose what little hearing you have left, Arthur,' she said, "If you don't move away from those squeakers!" Harry idly wondered if she'd meant speakers, tweeters or woofers, though it hardly mattered as he had a vague idea of the difference between them himself.

Hagrid was rounded up from the kitchen where he was in a heated debate with a fourth year about whether dragons could survive for long in the antarctic. Molly gently suggested that this was now the young people's time to dance, and get silly, without being inhibited by the older members of the Order. Harry knew it took a lot of trust for her to say this, and was grateful for her concern but also her ability to step back and let them get on with their lives.

Harry was glad all the others had come. This was _everyone_'s party. They'd all had losses over the years and it was good to have Grimmault Place full again. And it was doing Kreacher a world of good too, fussing around, putting out nibbles and making sure all the guests had enough to drink. The giggling girls also made a fuss of him and he could be seen preening himself, surrounded, with two or three of them stroking his ears. Harry thought he'd eventually have to rescue Kreacher - eventually.

The party had hotted up and Harry retreated into the kitchen with some of his favourite people. Neville was helping himself and Ron to more butterbeers, while Luna and Ginny were laughing about something private over by the door. Hermione was smiling, watching her boyfriend trying to operate a Muggle bottle-opener none too successfully.

Luna beamed around at the group of friends. "A lot of people would be awkward around each other after a break up, but it doesn't seem to bother us, though we're had so many between us. It's good that Neville and Ginny, Hermione and Harry and Neville and I can still be friends. And", she looked over at Neville, "you can be so close to me and not be awkward, Neville after what we did together."

Neville looked mildly uncomfortable, and everyone but Ginny looked confused.

"Not that either of us ever thought it was love, of course, really unsuited as anything but friends and more for mutual comfort with Ginny rejecting you and me being friendless."

"Nonsense," said Ginny with the air of someone deflecting the subject slightly, "You and I will always be friends."

"Oh yes ... _now_", said Luna vaguely, "But then you were pining for Harry and you really weren't much company at that point in year."

"I have wonderful friends," said Luna cheerfully. "Very forgiving people. Neville and I forgave each other. Harry forgave my father. Neville forgave Ginny. Ginny forgave Harry. Harry forgave Ron. Hermione forgave Ron ..."

"So, I may be a cuss, but I'm a forgivable one - I'm _A Forgivable Cuss_ - get it, Luna?" Ron was laughing at his own joke, while Luna gazed wistfully over his right shoulder. Ron glanced behind him wondering what she was looking at and Luna swept slowly out of the room with a vacant expression on her face.

Ron stood with his mouth open looking at where she'd been standing a moment before as his four friends held onto each other trying not to laugh out loud while Luna was still in hearing.

"Always good value, our Luna," Ron said as they all lost control simultaneously; Harry even snorting the butterbeer that he'd been unconsciously holding in his mouth throughout that weird conversation, right out of his nose.

And then Luna peered around the doorway again, smiling serenely. "... and so cheerful, always laughing. It's good to laugh," she said as if finishing a sentence already started, before disappearing again. Harry suspected that on this occasion she knew exactly the effect she was having on her friends - Luna had hidden depths.

Where to start with those little revelations? Harry thought probably what Luna did with Neville would be a good place but Ron beat him to it.

"Oh, nothing happened, mutual decision, not compatible, bad idea at a difficult time." Neville didn't look too bothered by the questioning and had taken over the opening of his butterbeer from Ron.

Ginny flashed Harry an amused look and raised her eyebrows at Neville. "Not what I heard, old friend. I heard that Ernie walked in on you in a clinch, was so unnerved that he fired off a silent curse by mistake and stopped you in your tracks."

Neville threw his head back in laughter. "If that's what you want to believe ... anyway, mutual decision, amicable breakup, gentlemen don't give details ..."

"_I will say though that our Luna is one hell of a kisser!_ " he whispered to Harry confidentially.

Which was the point that Hannah Abbot chose to arrive in the kitchen after her shift at the Leaky Cauldron finished. Harry hadn't seen her for quite some while and she looked quite different from the gangly teenager he remembered from Hogwarts. Mature and more confident and wearing a simple, but rather sophisticated, black dress.

She smiled at Neville, "What did I miss?" she asked with a grin in his direction.

"Nothing!" said Neville innocently, scooping her up in his arms and swinging her around. Harry only noticed that they were kissing after Neville had carefully placed her down on the floor again.

Later that evening he saw Neville and Hannah dancing, with Neville's hands wandering down and Hannah replacing them resignedly on her waist every few moments. She caught Harry's eye over Neville's shoulder and shrugged happily. "It's always the nice, quiet ones," she confided. "Get a bit of liquid confidence and they're all over you like Devil's Snare."

Neville expertly swung Hannah around and gave Harry the thumbs up behind her back, which made Harry snort and Hannah turn her head and raise her eyebrows at him. Harry had to trust that Neville was going to continue being a 'nice boy', though he suspected that Hannah wouldn't mind a _little_ deviation from his normal gentlemanly self.


	6. Chapter 6: The DA Reinstated

_**Chapter 6: DA reinstated**_

The party was still in full flow when the DA, and a few other of their friends, congregated in Harry's room. One of the gigglers poked her nose around the door at one point and proclaimed them to be party poopers and disappeared off downstairs once more. Harry thought he could hear her chanting _Harry Potter, Party Pooper_ as she went. The friends smiled at each other and carried on talking.

Harry wasn't sure when the party downstairs finished but it was sunrise when someone mentioned how quiet it was. Several of the DA had fallen asleep for short periods and woken and talked some more. Ginny was asleep at his feet, well worth a tease when she woke as she looked like a red-setter sleeping at the feet of its master. He'd taken a throw from the back of the sofa he was leaning against and placed it over her sleeping body when she'd first drifted off.

Hermione and Victor Krum were having a heated discussion which seemed to be about the reintroduction of sporting events in the new wizard society. And Hermione seemed to be arguing that Quidditch was an essential component of normalisation. Wonders would never cease! Ron was watching them, smiling. Another wonder. Harry didn't know at what point Ron had become secure enough to let his girlfriend talk to another man, especially Krum, without looking daggers. It was good to see.

And Neville - talk about confident - was sitting with Hannah's legs draped across his knees, laughing and touching her arm nonchalantly as they talked. Hannah had blossomed during the year at Hogwarts when she'd rejoined the DA and it was obvious she now admired Neville greatly. Neville didn't look like he was settling for second best either. Perhaps getting Ginny's friendship back had released him to look elsewhere. Harry certainly hoped so, they looked good together and he'd be pleased to think he'd had a hand in it.

Harry gently moved Ginny's arms from around his ankles and got up to squeeze past his friends. He carefully made his way down the stairs, past a number of slumbering guests. He smiled, coming across Stan Shunpike and several of the giggling girls, now fast asleep, draped over the sofas in his living room, Stan lightly snoring. He hoped that Stan wouldn't be in trouble with his work later on. It was late when he'd joined them and possibly the end of his shift.

Kreacher was asleep under one of the cupboards in the kitchen, wrapped in a sparkly, mauve, girls' cardigan, smiling in his sleep. Harry fixed himself a sandwich with some of the leftovers and sat at the kitchen table with a mug of tea and munched contentedly. Life was good. Life was very good. He had a woman who loved him, good friends, weekly day-release Auror training was going well, a career that he adored waiting for him when he had got through his final exams, somewhere to live, enough to live on and to be able to treat his friends occasionally. It was good to get back together with the DA too. Hermione had been right about a reunion being therapeutic. It was good to see how well they were all doing after all the trials they'd gone through the past year or so.

The Weasleys were also doing well under the new regime. Arthur had been promoted and was supervising two departments; his beloved Misuse of Muggle Artifacts and also a new department that looked into Muggle Liaison. Arthur was personally responsible for speaking directly to the Prime Minster as well as training heads of departments in the States and many of the European Ministries. Harry suspected that much of what he taught was taken directly from consultations with Hermione's parents, who he spent long weekends with whenever possible since they had returned from Australia.

Arthur had stepped down from the Office for the Detection and Confiscation of Counterfeit Defensive Spells and Protective Objects. Harry knew that Percy Weasley was high up in the department since his father left but couldn't remember the name of the witch who'd taken over as department head. She wasn't someone that he knew and the fact that Percy spoke so highly of her didn't mean much to him.

George had turned out to be a great businessman and Weasley's Wizard Wheezes was a roaring success with the latest franchises opening up in Switzerland, New Zealand and the Congo that month. The franchise idea had come from Angelina who'd now become George's partner in more ways than one and moved in with him just after the first successful franchise opened in Paris. They'd kept Fred's memory alive by introducing a new range of products in their budget line for younger shoppers with discounts to students at Hogwarts, Beauxbatons and Durmstrang. Harry suspected that the Hogwarts professors wouldn't all be so enthusiastic as their pupils about this.

It all meant that the Weasleys were now rather well to do. They didn't spend their new wealth on anything very life changing, however. Molly and Arthur still lived in the Burrow, but there were a few labour saving devises and they didn't have to worry about making ends meet. It took the pressure off Harry too, who always had wanted to pay his way when they took him in and he had spent long periods living at the Burrow. Molly and Arthur would never take a single Knut from him and it had hurt to think they wouldn't let him help them out when he had the money there.

Other than being able to take Molly with him on work trips abroad, for which she'd need an entire new wardrobe of clothes, the one small luxury was that Arthur had bought a Muggle caravan. He had already taken Molly to the Lake District to visit some distant cousins near Hawkshead. Ginny and Ron had been amused by the changes that Arthur had made; little wizarding changes, space saving devices. He'd fitted an entire bathroom with a bidet and a Jacuzzis in a shower cubicle and a wardrobe large enough for two of Molly's new ballroom dresses, dress robes for the whole family as well as day to day clothing, all in a broom cupboard. And when they were on their trip the cousins had installed a Welsh-dresser and all its contents into a tiny cupboard as a present for Molly.

The best thing for Harry was to see the family dressed in new clothes and Ron riding a new broom. Harry felt happier being able to enjoy buying things for himself and for Ginny when the rest of the family was doing so well. It had taken the gloss off buying things for himself, knowing the rest of the household never had anything new.

The kitchen door opened and Neville poked his head around the door. They smiled at each other and Harry saw the confident young man that he noticed a few times since the formation of the DA. He was proud to know someone like Neville.

"Want some company, or you hiding out?" Neville asked considerately.

Harry beckoned him in and went to put more water in the kettle. "I'm about ready for a bacon sandwich - want one?" asked Harry.

Neville grinned, "Sure you want to go there? That's one of those things that escalates and suddenly you're feeding the five thousand. I see you've a few house guests you weren't counting on, Harry."

Harry wasn't daunted. Nothing seemed impossible with all his friends around him. "We'll deal with that when it happens," he said confidently. "Take me minutes to get to the Burrow and back with a bag of goodies; Molly will think all her Christmases have come together if we ask for her help. She likes to know what we've eaten anyway and I'm sure she's not confident that Kreacher can feed all us boys properly, and that all the girls are risking anorexia, when she's not providing the meals."

Neville nodded. "Ok, anything I can do, just ask."

Harry liked spending time with his newly confident friend not least, he admitted to himself, because he'd seen Neville with another woman, someone who wasn't his Ginny and looking more than just averagely attentive. "So, you and Hannah, eh?" he probed.

Neville blushed slightly and his face lit up. "She says she was interested all through that year we were holed up in Hogwarts. But I didn't notice. She'd rather hoped I was just being gallant while things were so dire. I just thought she was grasping onto someone who was prepared to lead and didn't know she actually found me, well, you know, attractive." He blushed more deeply.

"It was after you came round, when you brought Ginny over, I decided I had to get out more and I met Hannah at the Leaky Cauldron. She was working behind the bar and it was a quiet day so we got talking. I was supposed to be meeting Dean. He apparently came in and saw me with Hannah and quietly left again. He'd thought we were made for each other when we were in the DA but not been happy in love himself at the time so hadn't said anything. He was going to when we arranged to meet, which is why he chose to go there, and then thought the best thing he could do would be to leave us to it. Funny what being in love can do to you," Neville continued wistfully.

"In love?" Harry asked.

"Oh, didn't he tell you? Dean met someone in the Czech Republic when he was over doing that art show as part of the recent diplomacy initiative." Harry grinned. Diplomacy and making international links with other wizarding and Muggle communities seemed to be flavour of the month since Kingsley had become Minster of Magic. It was a good feeling to know the organisation was in such good hands.

"When I say someone, I don't mean a woman either. Turns out that Dean was too embarrassed, sharing a dorm with a bunch of guys, to say he's gay. Like it would have mattered!" Neville sounded rather definite that everyone else would have been as cool with their dorm-mates sexuality as Neville obviously was. Harry wondered whether his reaction would have been as accepting, though he would of course have been pleased that Dean would have been out of the running for Ginny's affections. He was pretty certain that Seamus wouldn't have been so thrilled.

"So that's nearly all of us sorted," Neville said in pleased tones, "Except for Luna, of course. We need to find someone weird, but nice, for her. There must be someone out there." Harry rather doubted it himself, but he certainly hoped so, Luna was a very special person and deserved all the happiness she could get.

"I can't think of anyone we know. Victor Krum's free, I believe, but not smart enough for Luna. She needs someone who can stretch her but not dismiss all her less conventional notions," Harry said reasonably.

Neville nodded, "She's not as bad, or at least as weird, as she used to be, not that she was never a bad person. A lot of it came from her father. And Xenophilius is more subdued than he used to be and has less influence over Luna too. She tells him what to write about more often than not and what to publish in the Quibbler. It's changed a lot since those articles they published from interviews with you. And even more since the war and Luna's become more involved. Luna lost her rag with him after he tried to turn you in and he's been a different man since. He even researches his pieces and gives a few facts along with the speculation and made-up stuff. And Harry?"

"Yeah!"

"That bacon's burning!" Neville warned with a smirk.

* * *

Neville was right. The smell of cooking, or rather burning, bacon brought a lot of guests out of the woodwork. Harry gave away his own slightly burnt rashers to Stan, who looked slightly hung-over and confused by all the attention form the girls, and he was preparing to visit the Burrow to ask Molly for more supplies. By that time Kreacher had woken and Harry set him cooking the next batch for people who'd just followed the smell into the kitchen. Kreacher looked like the cat who got the cream and busily set about his business.

There is nothing like the smell of cooking bacon to bringing people out, and even the vegetarians were considering converting for the morning until Harry pointed them towards the supply of Quorn he kept for when his cousin, Dudley and his new girlfriend visited. He felt slightly guilty about not inviting Dudley, but then he'd not realised it would be more than a few DA members. Next time, he'd ask him next time.

He'd been right to think that Molly would be pleased to be asked for fresh supplies. She would have been happy to come herself and cook until Harry said it might put Kreacher's nose out of joint. She gave him several enormous bags of goodies, including five kinds of pure fruit juice, sausages, eggs, bacon, three different types of rolls and some cream cheese and smoked salmon when she heard that there were a couple of Jewish friends of DA members who'd come along. "It's quite a delicacy, we had it when Arthur and I visited in New York last year, when Arthur went to meet the liaison to the American President," she told him proudly. Harry had heard the story so many times, but didn't begrudge Molly finding any excuse to tell it. She'd had precious few similar stories to tell of Arthur's career over the years. It was about time she had something she could boast of. He also doubted that smoked salmon and cream cheese rolls were much of a delicacy, but he didn't want to hurt her feelings about that either.

* * *

It might not have been the meeting that Hermione had originally planned, but she couldn't deny that it had been a huge success. "You should do one every year. Open house, Harry. Just a celebration of being alive, being free to meet and have fun with no harassment no restrictions." And Harry agreed.

* * *

_**Notes**__: As always, these are JK's characters and in no way my own._  
_I've spent years defending the position that there was never and could never be anything between Harry and Hermione, whether or not Ron was in the picture. JK, however, once commented that there might have been something between them if not for Ron. The films have hinted more at that than the books ever did and I didn't think it was a going concern until I heard the author's own thought on the matter. Bowing to her greater knowledge and understanding of the characters which she created, I chose to add this to my own story. Like it or loath it, it's down to JK and not me - blame her! =;-)_


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